The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for accurately transferring slices of material in rapid succession between two locations, and, more particularly, to an apparatus for accurately and reliably transferring successive, individual food product slices of a food material from a first support member such as a conveyor to a second support member such as a backing board or conveyor without distorting the slice. The present invention finds particular suitability in the transfer of cooked food materials.
The movement or transfer of food product slices, such as bacon, has typically been an extremely labor-intensive operation. Because of the random shaping and sizing of the food product slices, the best mode in the past for transferring food product slices has been picking up the slices by hand from a conveyor and transferring the slices onto a second support surface, such as individual product trays or product support webs. The irregular shape and size of food product slices in general contributes to the problems associated with the transfer thereof. Additionally, because of their relative thinness, some food products, particularly bacon slices, have a flexible and delicate nature which renders any manual transfer process impractical.
Moreover, food product slices commonly have product liquids and/or oils associated with them which imparts an adhesive nature to the slices such that the slices tend to adhere to the first support member and attempts to remove the same from the support member result in distortion of the shape of the slice. Additionally, where the food material slices have been previously cooked immediately after exit from an oven, the slices still contain excess heat energy which must be dissapated before packing.
Because of the above, conventional mechanical means of picking up food product slices to transfer them, such as by scraping or combing are impractical. To avoid these problems, manual labor is used to pick up the food product slices from a conveyor and transfer them to another support web. Such manual transfer is costly and not as efficient as an automated system.
Quick transfer of food product slices and exact placement thereof on a support web without altering the shape of the slices is also desirable to allow the slicing and packaging components of the production line to operate at the most efficient speeds possible. Accurate registration of the individual material slices on the support member is also desirable to ensure that the support member is properly loaded. One way to effect such a desired transfer is to apply a normal force to the food product slices.
Some attempts at material slice transfer mechanisms have utilized rotating drums which draw a vacuum through air passages on the outer surface of the drums to retain food product material slices in place thereon during the transfer operation. Such mechanisms are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,642, U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,614 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,676. Such a mechanism is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,268. All of these mechanisms utilize a vacuum to pick up the food product slice and transfer from one location to another location.
The present invention is therefore directed to a transfer apparatus which provides highly efficient and accurate registration of food product slices and, when incorporated into an overall slicing and packaging production line, it can facilitate high-speed transfer of food material slices between components, such as oven conveyors, and product support components, thereby enabling the production line to operate at higher speeds. The present invention sequentially captures individual product slices by applying a force substantially normal to the plane of the food product slice without disrupting the food product slice by either stretching or distorting the same. In doing so, the present invention reduces problems related to common production line variables, such as the product temperature, thickness and texture, including oil or grease characteristics, which can commonly affect the speed at which such slices are transferred. Additionally, when the present invention is used to transfer precooked food material slices, it exposes the precooked food product slices to high velocity air during transport and thus provides a means to dissipate heat therefrom. Further, the present invention provides a means to remove excess liquid grease and fat from the product during transfer of product.
In accordance with the present invention, food material slices which have been previously severed from a material supply and are transferred from a first conveyor such as an oven take-off conveyor to a product support member, such as a conveyor, a continuous support web, or an individual package support member by an arrangement of one or more rotating drums. The rotating drums are located near to the first conveyor so that an outer surface thereof is positioned close to a precooked slice. The slice, whether cooked or uncooked, is attracted toward the drum pneumatically, by way of a negative air pressure environment which is maintained within the interior of the drum. This negative air pressure causes the food product slice to adhere to the outer surface of the drum while the drum rotates between the slice pick-up location and the desired slice deposit locations.
When the drum reaches the deposit location, the negative air pressure holding the food product slice to the drum is released and the slice may either fall off of the drum by virtue of its own weight or it may be urged off of the drum by an urging means onto the deposit location. The rotation of the drum(s) may be advantageously synchronized with the conveyor bringing the slices to the drum to obtain a predetermined spacing between successive material slices. The negative air pressure which adheres individual slices to the rotating drum during the transfer process advantageously eliminates the need for any mechanical transfer member. Additionally, the rotating drum reduces the distance which the product slice must travel unrestrained to a minimum, thereby eliminating risk of distortion of the same.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for transferring material slices from one location to another location.
Another object of the present invention is t provide an improved rotating drum assembly for use in a transfer apparatus whereby individual, successive, precooked food material slices are transferred, without distortion, from a first support member onto a second support member.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for transferring food material slices from a first support member, such as a conveyor to a second support member which may include a second conveyor or a plurality of discrete second support members such as product trays wherein the transfer apparatus includes a plurality of rotating drums, wherein each rotating drum attracts, sequentially, a single food product slice onto its outer surface by way of negative air pressure, the rotating drums being arranged in close proximity to each other such that transfer of food product slices is effected between adjoining drums.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a transfer apparatus for precooked food product slices having two coaxially disposed cylindrical drum members, the first of which being a rotating drum and the second of which being a non-rotating drum, the first drum rotating coaxially around the second, non-rotating drum, the second, or inner, drum having an internal pneumatic chamber operatively associated therewith for conveying negative air pressure to the outer surface of the first rotating drum to adhere material slices thereon and a means for blocking the flow of negative air pressure to the first drum outer surface, whereby material slices fall off of the first drum, the second drum having a plurality of distinct passages which respectively communicate air pressure to the first drum outer surface, the apparatus thereby providing a means to cool the precooked product quickly prior to packaging of the product.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a transfer apparatus having two coaxially aligned, operatively associated cylindrical members, the outer member being capable of rotational movement around the inner member, the outer member having at least one material slice receiving portion thereon which holds food material slices in place by negative air pressure, the negative air pressure providing a means to remove liquid fat, grease or the like from the food material slices before the packaging thereof, and the transfer apparatus further having means for maintaining the food slice grease in a liquid state for removal from the apparatus.
These and other features and objects of the present invention will become more apparent from a reading of the following detailed description.